Appaloosa Artisans

One of the most often questions I get asked is about applying protective top coats! While there are soooo many amazing options out there I typically use @minwaxusa polycrylic in various sheens and I apply it with just a cut up tshirt! I also get asked if I do not have a problem with getting streaks! The answer to this is no! As long as I apply it with minimal pressure and do light coats— it always goes on evenly and smoothly! I also sand in between coats with 320 grit sandpaper and wipe away the dust! Typically I apply about 3-6 coats on each piece for durability!!! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to drop them below in the comments— I am here to help!!! . #topcoat #glosstopcoat #mattetopcoat #finishingtouches #finishing #finishingwood #finishingfurniture #polycrylic #minwax #minwaxpolycrylic #minwaxpolyurethane #sealingwood #finishwork #furniturereels #furniturereel #refinishingfurniture #refinishedfurniture #furnitureartist #furniturerestoration #furniturereawakened

When we purchased our house in late March I knew one of the first things I wanted to tackle was the exterior stucco of the lower level, the patio, and the front door! Living in a log home, there’s a lot of brown and to highlight the beautiful logs and character of the home, I decided to paint it all black! I started with the stucco around the garage doors to make them pop, then I painted the retaining wall and the entire patio wall as well as updated the patio with some custom built furniture and rugs and then since I had leftover paint, I painted the well worn door!! I would still like to add black shutters and paint the trim black, maybe add some black window boxes and a black metal roof! Follow along to see more transformations! . #sherwinwilliams #sherwinwilliamspaint #sherwinwilliamstricornblack #sherwinwilliamspaints #paintitblack #loghome #loghomeliving #loghomes #loghomedesign #loghomedecor #loghomelife #loghomestyle #loghomesofinstagram #loghouse #loghouses #loghouseliving #loghouselife #loghomesofinstagram

3 updated pieces for my high school friend! My sweet friend had inherited all of these special family pieces and she brought them to me to restore and give them new life so she could cherish them and use them in her home as well as pass them down to her own children! I have shared all 3 individual reels with the processes and steps I took to refinish them all so check those out as well to learn how I made them all so very beautiful again! Also, if you like what you see, hit that follow button as well so you don’t miss out on future transformations!

Authentic heirloom farmhouse table restored but the original character and imperfections are still very much intact, just like the client asked! The client remembers this being her grandmother’s laundry table and remembers sitting on it as a young child while her grandma did laundry! She inherited it and wanted its character and all of the imperfections preserved, but wanted it to just be a little better! So I sanded down the top. Taped out the top and primed and painted the base heirloom white by @rustoleum Stained the top with @minwaxusa early American stain and sealed it with multiple coats of polycrylic . If you have any questions, drop them below and follow along for more!! . #authenticfarmhouse #farmhousetable #farmhousetables #farmhousestyle #farmhousekitchen #heirloomfurniture #antiquetable #antiquetables #refinishedfurniture #originalcharacter #restoredantiques #antiquerestoration #countrystylemagazine #countrylivingmagazine #countrylivingmag #shabbychic #countrylivingdecor #countrycharm

Refreshed PEW for my client’s front porch! She had inherited this pew from her grandfather’s church and it had developed a darkened and worn finish over the years! She wanted it as natural as possible but also well protected! So, I sanded it all down with 80, 120, and 220 grits with dusting in between and then sealed it with 3 coats of @varathane exterior spar finish with light sandings in between each coat! I love how the heart pine now shines and I love all of the imperfections stand out as well! We both line in Mocksville , NC and “Mocksville” is actually carved in the back— I guess someone was a little bored in church one Sunday! If you have any questions, drop them below in the comments and follow along for more furniture and home transformations! . #heartpine #pew #churchpew #churchpews #churchpewbench #rawwood #rawwoodfurniture #rawwoodfinish #refinishedfurniture #refinishingfurniture #sanding #sandingwood #sandingfurniture #sandingfordays #sandingmachine #dewalt #dewalttough #dewaltsander #exteriorfinishes #exteriorfinishing #outdoorfurniture #outdoorfurnitureideas #beforeandafterfurniture #beforeandafterfurnituremakeovers #diyfurnituremakeover

Pottery Barn Inspired Armoire Transformation . When the client brought this armoire that her grandfather had built, she really didn’t have any ideas of what she wanted me to do with it— just make it lighter and better— her son would be using it as a closet for a while! Knowing that her son would be moving out at some point, I decided to make it much better for her to enjoy in any space in her home for years to come! I had come across this pottery barn cabinet and thought I could make her piece look very similar! Here’s what I did!….. 1. I sanded down all of the exterior and the interior of the doors with 80, 120, and 220 grits! 2. I then bleached the green parts of the poplar a bit to help minimize the green! 3. I then stained it all with a combination of @minwaxusa stains simply white, early American and dark walnut to give it this ashy driftwood tone! 4. I then inserted cane onto the original panels and secured them in the doors! 5. I replaced the door catches so I could remove that makeshift closing piece from the top! 6. I white washed the trim of the interior and then applied a pretty neutral grass cloth every where else to make the interior much brighter! 7. I then added new pulls to the doors and to the bottom section! 8. I sealed it all with multiple coats of polyacrylic and then it was done! I so love how it turned out!! If you have any questions, drop them below in the comments and continue to follow along for more furniture and home transformations!! . #potterybarndupe #potterybarn #potterybarnstyle #potterybarninspired #potterybarnhome #refinishedfurniture #rawwood #rawwoodfurniture #driftwoodfurniture #driftwoodfish #armoire #refinishingfurniture #diyfurniture #diyfurnituremakeover #diyfurnituremakeovers #diyfurnitureflip #furnitureflippingfemales #furnitureflip #furnitureflipping #canefurniture #canefurniturerevival #canefurniturelove #studiomcgeeinspired

Mismatched crafting tables and chair become a unified set with paint, pulls, and paper! The client has a dedicated crafting room and had these 2 desks and 1 chair wanted them distressed white and girly! The larger desk had a lift sewing machine, but it no longer worked so she needed the hole patched— that was the first step! After that, I primed and painted them and distressed the edges! I applied multiple coats of poly to the tops since they are work stations for her! I also primed and painted the chair she had just found and added to the order! I then added this fun floral peel and stick paper and these beautiful floral pulls to make them extra girly! I love how just a little bit of work can make some mismatched pieces coordinate beautifully! If you have any questions, drop them below and follow along for more furniture and home transformations! . Products @rustoleum White prime and blossom white paint @minwaxusa polycrylic flat finish . #craftingideas #craftroom #craftroommakeover #craftingtable #paintedfurniture #paintedfurniturelove #paintedfurnitureideas #distressedwhite #refinishedfurniture #furnituremakeover #furnituremakeovers #beforeandafterfurniture #beforeandafterfurnituremakeovers #spraypainted #spraypaintedfurniture #spraypainting

Worn antique dresser became beautiful again, but not without some issues!! My niece found this dresser and loved the color of the finish and the style, but it was worn and needed some love! 1. I first sanded down everything and when I was sanding the bottom trim where there were so many veneer breaks, I scraped and sanded the veneer completely off to reveal oak! 2. I then stained everything with a combination of red mahogany and provincial stains from @minwaxusa There were some damaged veneer spots in the top and on the bottom drawer— I tried to blend them and conceal them but the one in the top just would not get up to my standards.so……. 3. I applied new veneer to the top (peel and stick veneer from edge supply (I can send you the link) and then stained and sealed it and the rest of the piece with multiple coats of top coat! 4. Then I added these pretty brass pulls and this beautiful nature inspired peel and stick paper! I so love how it turned out! . If you have any questions, drop them below and follow along for more furniture and home transformations! . #antiquedresser #antiquedressermakeover #antiquerestoration #antiquerestorations #woodveneer #woodveneers #woodveneerfurniture #woodveneering #furniturerestoration #refinishedfurniture #refinishingfurniture #restoringfurniture #cherryveneer #furnituremakeover #diyfurnituremakeover #beforeandafterfurniture

Just sharing some beautiful stills— most are the afters— the last 2 are the befores of this gorgeous tiger oak cabinet! Since Tiger oak has such orange tones, I decided to do a tan wash after I sanded it all down! It was so time consuming to sand, tan wash, stain, and then apply multiple coats of poly to everything….. both sides of each shelf, the top, the ceiling, all of the interior and exterior sections, but it was so worth it to achieve this gorgeous raw wood driftwood finish as opposed to a very orange finish! I also shared a reel highlighting all of the steps as well if you want to check that out! If you have any questions, drop them below and follow along for more! . #rawwood #rawwoodfurniture #rawwoodfinish #rawwoodworking #antiquecabinet #antiquecabinets #antiquerestoration #antiquerestorations #refinishedfurniture #tigeroak #vintagefurniture #vintagefinds #peelandstickwallpaper

Seasoned Middle School Teacher means I am very Tough and no words you throw at me will break me! . Yes, I know I put myself out here in social media world and I also understand that our world contains lots of hate and lots of social media haters that can easily hide behind their screens and get some sort of exhilaration from being mean! Even though I read those negative words and acknowledge the hurt, I never ever let them beat me— I am tough, I am middle school tough! . #teacherlife #teachersofinstagram #teachers #teacherhumor #middleschoolteacher #middleschoolela #middleschoolteachers #middleschoolelateacher #refinishedfurniture #refinishingfurniture #furniturerefinishingbusiness #furniturerefinishing

Thrifting Tip . If you are out thrifting or hitting antique stores, don’t skip over pieces that are dark and dirty—- you never know what a little bit of sanding or cleaning could reveal! This pew is very dark and dirty, but in only 20 minutes, I sanded half of the front revealing gorgeous heart pine, which is very valuable! Hoping to get it sanded and some top coats applied within the next couple of days— so follow along to see the reveal! . #churchpew #churchpews #antiquepew #pew #heartpine #sanding #sandingwood #sandingfurniture #refinishedfurniture #refinishingfurniture #furniturerefinishingbusiness #antiquerestoration #antiquerestorations #antiquerestorer #thrifting #thriftingfinds #thrifted #thriftedfinds #thriftedfurniture #thriftedfurnituremakeover

Furniture Refinishing Analogy Comparing the art of refinishing furniture to a person getting ready! Removing finish and prep work is to taking off your clothes and bathing! Applying stain or paint is to putting your outfit on! Applying the top coat layers is to putting on your makeup and styling your hair— you are not trying to cover it up— just make it shine! Placing pretty papers and pretty drawer pulls is to putting on your accessories and jewelry! These are the things that jump in my head while out sanding so I thought I would share!!! Refinishing furniture friends—- feel free to use the audio and the analogies if you want and make a feel of your own working and making pieces more lovely! . #refinishedfurniture #furniturerefinishingbusiness #furniturerefinishing #furniturerefurbished #paintedfurniture #paintedfurniturelove #furnitureflip #furnitureflippingtips #furnitureflipping #furnitureflippingfemales #furnitureflippers #furnitureflipper #furnitureflippersofinstagram #refinishingfurniture #furniturereels #furniturereel #viralaudio #watchmework

Afters and Befores Here are some still shots of the beautifully modernized and painted secretary I transformed for my sweet friend! Swipe through to see all of the afters and then at the end you will see where it started with the befores! The reel highlighting all of my steps and products used is also on my page, a few shares back— check it out as well! I so love this classic black and white and gold combination! . #antiquefurniture #antiquesecretary #antiquesecretarydesk #secretarydesk #furnituremakeover #paintedfurniture #paintedfurniturelove #paintedfurnitureideas #paintedfurnitureartist #classicblackandwhite #updatedfurniture #beforeandafterfurniture #refinishedfurniture

Simple update to this little side table! The client brought me her side table that her grandfather actually built and she wanted it a darker and richer finish! I was able to achieve that in 3 easy steps! 1. Sanded it down with 120 grit sandpaper and then dusted it off and sanded it with 220 for a smooth surface! 2. Stained it with @minwaxusa ebony stain! 3. Sealed it with 5 coats of @minwaxusa polycrylic in a satin finish! I also placed the same peel and stick as I used in her secretary so they would coordinate a bit! . If you have any questions, drop them below and follow along for more furniture and home transformations! . #refinishedfurniture #refinishingfurniture #furniturerestoration #ebonystain #sidetable #beforeandafterfurniture #beforeandafterfurnituremakeovers #furnituremakeover #diyfurnituremakeover #sandingwood #sandingfurniture #stainingwood #stainingfurniture #minwaxstain #minwaxpolycrylic #minwaxusa